


Five More Minutes

by bearlywrite



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm Sorry, It starts off cute, M/M, Smut, Smut is light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 19:12:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13347672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearlywrite/pseuds/bearlywrite
Summary: Alfred and Arthur have been in love for as long as they can remember, but they always found themselves wanting just five more minutes with each other, until the very end.





	Five More Minutes

It was when Alfred was only five years old when the family moved in down the street. The house was inhabited by a kind old woman for Alfred’s entire childhood until she had to be moved to a nursing home. Alfred was sad to see her leave, she always made him the best chocolate chip cookies, but when he learned a boy his age would be moving in across the street, he couldn’t contain his happiness.

Alfred was never one to stay quiet, and he certainly never passed up the opportunity to make a new friend, so as soon as the moving vans left he was out the door, pausing only to tell his mother where he was heading and that he’d be back for dinner. He ran over to the house, and skidded to a stop when the young boy turned to face him.

For once, Alfred found himself speechless.

The boy’s green eyes were soft, yet held a sparkle in them that had Alfred fumbling for words, and when the boy spoke with his soft English accent, Alfred found himself smiling brighter than the sun.

“Hello,” the shorter blond said with a shy smile. “Who are you?”

Alfred toed at the ground, finding himself at a loss for words before offering a blinding smile. “My names Alfred! I live right down there,” Alfred pointed his pudgy finger back to his own home with another blinding smile. “And I’m here to be your bestest friend!”

The sandy blonde stared at Alfred for a moment before his face split into a smile that rivaled Alfred’s own.

“I’m Arthur,” Arthur said before ducking his head and staring at the ground. “Do you want to play pirates with me?”

Alfred beamed and nodded his head without a second thought. He had never played pirates before, but he was sure he could be the best pirate there was. He reached for his new friend’s hand and dragged him to the front porch.

“We gotta get on the ship before the storm hits,” Alfred paused for a moment, turning to his new friend, the grip on his hand never loosening. “I’m Captain Alfred and you can be my right-hand man!”

Arthur pouted, saying that he was always the captain, so Alfred decided he’d let Arthur be the captain of the ship and he would just be the hero. The young American laughed when Arthur rolled his eyes and told him there was no such thing as a hero on a pirate ship, but soon the green-eyed boy was running around his porch and yelling to his ‘hero’ that there was a monster attacking and he needed his help.

The two boys played like that for hours until the sky turned dark and Alfred’s mother came by to take the young boy back home for dinner.

Alfred clutched Arthur’s hand asking his mom “five more minutes?” and the woman only smiled and shook her head as the two continued to sail to the ‘land of burgers’, Arthur rolling his eyes behind her son, but not without the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

“Alfred, push me higher!” Arthur sang from his perch on the swing set outside their middle school. Alfred was behind the boy, grunting with every push as he tried to get Arthur higher than Gilbert had gotten Matthew two weeks ago.

“I’m trying, you’re just heavy,” Alfred gasped, practically throwing his entire body weight into his pushes. “Try laying off the burgers dude.” Alfred said with a smirk and another heaving push.

Arthur spluttered, as he sailed higher into the sky.

“You’re the one who eats burgers every day you twat!”

Arthur continued muttering to himself, something about total bollocks and other British stuff Alfred never understood, but the boy kept his smile and continued pushing his friend as he swung back into his outstretched arms.

“Well, it certainly doesn’t feel like it,” Alfred mumbled under his breath. He knew if he said it loud enough for Arthur to hear the other boy would jump off the swing and chase him around the playground. Alfred didn’t want to go through that again, they already had their chase yesterday. “You could at least pump your legs to help me you know.”

Arthur turned around as much as he could in the swing without losing his balance and threw Alfred an indignant smirk. “Just admit the hero can’t push me higher than Gilbert.”

Oh.

_Oh._

If there was one thing Arthur knew, it was how to push Alfred’s buttons, and that one always took the cake.

Alfred huffed, considering punching Arthur in the back when he swung back down, but he dismissed the idea as soon as it came because he knew there would be hell to pay if he did that, so instead he gathered up all his energy and gave Arthur a strong push. He stood back and watched Arthur sail up past the slide beside them with a victorious grin.

“You did it!” Arthur screamed as he swung back down, throwing his feet into the wood chips beneath him to slow the swing. As soon as he could, he jumped off and ran to Alfred, tackling him to the ground in their celebration.

The two boys laid on the ground for a while, still reveling in their victory over Gilbert and Matthew. Alfred looked over to Arthur who was laying beside him, watching the clouds roll by above them.

“Want to go play on the monkey bars?” Alfred asked, but Arthur turned to him and shook his head.

“Nah, let’s just lay here,” the green-eyed boy said. He looked back over to Alfred with a small smile tugging at his lips. “Five more minutes?”

Alfred smiled back.

“Sure, five more minutes.”

 

* * *

 

 

The two boys were seated at the table in the far corner watching Francis coo at every girl that walked past, complimenting their gowns as if his life depended on it. Beside him, Ludwig and Feliciano were making heart eyes at each other like they always did, and Gilbert and Matthew were lost in their own little world.

Alfred couldn’t complain though, he was just as lost in how gorgeous his own boyfriend looked that night in his tailored tux, blue tie to match his dates eyes, Alfred sporting an emerald tie himself.

The American reached down and grabbed his boyfriends hand, smiling at the small blush that graced those beautiful pale cheeks in the perfect way.

“They’re total morons, aren’t they?” Alfred whispered to Arthur with a small chuckle.

Arthur rolled his eyes and scoffed, though Alfred knew there was no malice in his actions. Arthur was just a big teddy bear with an attitude, a _cute_ attitude.

“That frog needs to get laid tonight or else we’re going to have to deal with him,” Arthur mumbled with barely contained laughter as Francis ran after a blonde in a sparkling blue dress. He turned back to his boyfriend, eyes sparkling. “I wouldn’t want that twit to ruin our night together.”

Alfred laughed, leaning in to place a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead.

“Nothing could ruin this night for me,” he whispered. “Seeing you looking this gorgeous is enough for me.”

Alfred leaned back with a satisfied smirk at his boyfriend’s reddening cheeks. Arthur caught his self-satisfied smile and scoffed, though Alfred could see the adoration behind his lover’s bright green eyes.

“You bloody moron,” Arthur whispered under his breath as he leaned in to capture his boyfriend’s lips. The two parted, sharing breath as Arthur looked into the deep blue eyes that matched his tie. A soft melody began to play from the speakers as Arthur whispered a soft “I love you.”

Alfred smiled, stood, and offered his hand out to his boyfriend.

“Dance with me?”

Arthur flushed a deep red, but stood and took his boyfriend’s hand in his own and was led to the dance floor. Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred’s neck, softly complaining ‘bloody hell why are you such a giant’, but Alfred only wrapped his arms tighter around Arthur’s waist and brought their chests flush together. The two swayed slowly to the soft melody, staring in each other’s eyes as if they were the only two people in the room.

“You’re amazing Artie,” Alfred said, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the top of Arthur’s head, inhaling the scent of the coconut shampoo his boyfriend loved to use. “I love you so much.”

Arthur huffed into his boyfriend’s shoulder with a half-hearted complaint on his lips about the nickname, but he buried his nose into Alfred’s neck and Alfred could feel the smile on his boyfriend’s lips.

The two were too wrapped up in each other’s arms that they didn’t realize the song was over until couples were leaving the dance floor in droves, and as Arthur made his move to remove himself from Alfred’s warm grasp, the American only held on tighter.

When Arthur looked up with confusion in his eyes, he was met with the sparkling blue of his boyfriends and a whispered “five more minutes?”

And Arthur couldn’t refuse.

 

* * *

 

 

Alfred ran a shaky hand through his already mussed hair, letting a nervous laugh pass from his lips. He turned to the small box sitting on his nightstand, lifting the small box in his hand and opening it to reveal the silver ring he planned to give to Arthur that night.

With quaking fingers, he reached out and plucked the ring from its perch inside the box, running a delicate finger over the smooth band, flipping it to see _AK_ inscribed next to his own _AJ_.

He set the ring back inside the box, and pocketed it when he heard footsteps approach their bedroom door.

Arthur poked his head into their bedroom with an annoyed expression on his face.

“Hey you git,” he ground out, reaching his hand up to check his watch. “We’re already twenty minutes late for the reservation, are you coming or not?”

Alfred swallowed past the lump in his throat, finding himself speechless in front of his boyfriend. The words he planned to say to him that night at dinner were swirling around his head and he couldn’t shake the slight tremble from his hands.

Arthur’s annoyed expression morphed into one of concern for his boyfriend, and he slid further into the room, coming to stand in front of Alfred and placing a hand on his tanned cheek.

“Alfred, love, what’s wrong?”

Alfred found himself drowning in his boyfriend’s eyes, and he knew that it was now or never. He took in Arthur’s messy hair, gorgeous green eyes that were filling with more concern the longer it took Alfred to respond, the soft pink lips that Alfred thought of every second of every day, and he knew with absolute certainty that his man standing in front of him was the one thing that made his life worth living, and that he would want to spend the rest of his days by this man’s side.

So, with those thoughts swirling in his head, the American took a shaky breath and sank to down to one knee, fishing the box out of his pants pocket as Arthur’s eyes widened an almost comical amount, already shining with tears.

“Artie, you’ve been a constant in my life since you moved into that house down the street, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to spend my life with,” Alfred said, voice trembling as Arthur’s tears began cascading down his pale cheeks. “and now, I don’t want to spend my life with anyone but you. It seems you’ve spoiled me with your presence Artie,” Arthur let out a small laugh at that. “I love you, and your adorable attitude, and terrible cooking. I love you now and I’ve loved you for years and I’ll love you for a thousand more. So, what I’m trying to say, Arthur Kirkland, is will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my husband?”

Alfred finished his speech with bated breath and watched the tears flowing down Arthur’s cheeks before the shorter man let out a sob and launched himself into Alfred’s waiting arms.

Arthur buried himself in Alfred’s chest, chanting out ‘yes’ more times than Alfred could count before he was pulled into a breathtaking kiss.

The two parted and Alfred took Arthur’s smaller hand in his own and slid the silver ring onto his finger. They sat in silence, each staring at the glistening ring on Arthur’s pale finger with awe and adoration in their eyes.

Alfred squeezed Arthur’s hand, and blue eyes met sparkling green and they leaned in for a soft kiss. They parted and rested on each other’s forehead, sharing breaths and ‘I love you’s’ until Alfred mentioned their reservations.

Arthur leaned back, looked at his hand where the sparkling ring still sat, then back to his fiancé and shook his head.

“The reservations can wait five more minutes.”

And he leaned in for another kiss.

 

* * *

 

 

The two clashed against each other, tongues and teeth and hands flying everywhere they could touch.

Alfred let his hands roam down Arthur’s back, following each curve with his hand until he got to his husband’s ass, to which he gave a light slap that sent the smaller man forward with a jolt and a soft moan escaping his lips.

Alfred smirked down at his husband, down to his boxers thanks to their escapade in their living room, and marveled at the expanse of pale white skin displayed before him. His hands wandered from the man’s ass, reaching up to stroke down his chest, purposefully gliding past his sensitive buds that elicited a small gasp from Arthur who responded to his husband’s antics by grinding down against Alfred’s leg.

Both men gasped at the friction, and Alfred flipped Arthur onto their bed with a slight growl. He wasted no time taking his rightful place above the man and crashed their lips together, tongue invading the other’s open mouth and drawing out small gasps and groans of pleasure from the Englishman.

The Americans hands trailed down the sensitive sides of his lover before coming over to palm his husband through his boxers.

“A-Alfred, don’t be such a tease.” Arthur huffed into the mans shoulder, then turning his head to bite at the neck in front of him.

Alfred let out a soft gasp as Arthur latched onto a particularly sensitive spot on his neck.

“What do you mean,” Alfred asked innocently, reaching below the waistband of his husband’s boxers and stroking the man. “You want me to stop this?”

Arthur moaned at the contact, clawing at his husband’s back as Alfred increased his pace.

“Y-You bloody git, you know what I mean.”

Alfred laughed and peeled off the boxers in one swift motion, freeing his husband from his confines and listening as Arthur moaned at the cold air on his sensitive dick.

Alfred reached over to grab the lube stashed away in their beside table. He slicked up his fingers and circled a finger around the sensitive area as his husband rutted down onto him.

Alfred slipped a finger in shallowly, before pulling it back out with a smirk on his face. Arthur gasped at the contact, and growled as it was pulled away.

“Just get on with it you twat.”

Alfred offered a sinful grin and leaned in to whisper into his husband’s ear; “Five more minutes sweetheart.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Now Amelia, you be a good girl for Uncle Mattie, okay? Daddy and Papa will be back later tonight okay?” Alfred said to his little girl who was clutching onto Arthur’s leg with a vice like grip.

“It’s only a few hours sweetheart, and Uncle Mattie has a lot of fun things planned for you two!  Isn’t that exciting?” Arthur offered, but the young girl only gripped onto his leg tighter.

“B-But Daddy, I’m gonna miss you!” The young girl cried and the two fathers looked at each other guiltily.

Matthew stepped in, bending down to face the little girl.

“I brought chocolate chips cookies and your favorite Barbie movie Amelia. We’re going to have lots of fun.” The Canadian offered, and the young girl quieted her sobbing at the mention of cookies.

She was Alfred’s child after-all.

“O-Okay, can I have all the cookies I want Uncle Mattie?” The little girl said, her eyes twinkling up at her Uncle.

Matthew laughed nervously and looked to the two parents, each shrugging their shoulders knowing the girl wouldn’t let them leave if she didn’t get what she wanted.

“Of course Amelia, anything you want.” Matthew said with a smile, and with that the two fathers were allowed to leave their home.

Alfred grabbed Arthur’s hand as they walked to their car.

“Amelia sure didn’t want to let you go tonight,” The American said with a laugh as he held the door open for his husband to slide into the passenger seat. Arthur still blushed at Alfred’s gesture and rushed into their car to hide the blush Alfred already knew was gracing his husband’s cheeks. “She loves you too much, I have some major competition.”

Arthur laughed and shoved his husband playfully on the arm.

“You aren’t going to be in competition with your own daughter, love,” Arthur smiled at his husband, his eyes shining with barely contained adoration. “besides she loves you just as much.”

Alfred chuckled and the two drove to the hotel they booked, the car filled with small talk about their jobs, or Amelia and her antics, until they reached the hotel and rolled into a parking spot.

Alfred put the car in park and turned to watch his husband unbuckle his seatbelt in the soft moonlight.

He was still just as perfect as the day he met him.

Alfred reached out and grasped his husband’s hand and pulled him over the center console into his arms. He peppered the pale face with soft kisses and Arthur let out small giggles at each kiss.

Finally, their lips met in a passionate kiss, and the two melted into each other, teeth clacking and tongues clashing in the heat of it.

They pulled away, taking the time to stare into the other’s eyes before Alfred leaned in again.

“Wanna make out for five more minutes?”

Arthur laughed.

“What are we, teenagers?”

“Hell yeah.”

“…Five more minutes.”

And the two kissed until hotel security came over and ushered them to their room.

 

* * *

 

 

Arthur rolled over, arms finding the warmth of his husband beside him and he wiggled his way into his husband’s chest, sighing as he felt the strong arms wrap around him.

He laid there, fingers tracing soft patterns on the chest before he looked up at his husband’s face.

“Alfie, you still up?”

A soft grunt signified that yes, his husband was still awake.

“I can’t believe Amelia is in college,” Arthur whispered into his husband’s chest, feeling his eyes fill with the beginnings of tears. “Just yesterday she was our little girl crying at us leaving her, now she’s all grown up and in college.”

Alfred sighed and tightened his hold on Arthur, burying his face in his hair and inhaling the calming scent.

“Darling, we’re getting old,” Alfred whined into his hair, and Arthur rolled his eyes. “She’s going to be fine, she’s a strong and smart girl.”

Arthur sighed, and pushed away from Alfred’s chest to look at his sleepy husband.

Alfred had aged well, his eyes were still as blue as they always had been and still sparkled with that childlike mirth, and he was still just as toned as he had been since his teenage years.

He was just as beautiful as he always was.

Arthur let out another soft sigh and buried himself back into the warm chest.

“Time’s moving too fast love,” Arthur held onto Alfred a little tighter. “Make it slow down.”

He felt Alfred’s arms move, and let out a soft gasp as he was lifted on top of his husband’s chest. He looked down at the man he’s loved for his entire life and smiled.

Alfred was watching him with that soft, sleepy smile and Arthur could’ve melted right then and there.

“Arthur, baby, you’ve still got a long time to spend with me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Arthur nodded, and leaned back down to lie on top of his husband.

“Are you going to go back to sleep now, dear?” Alfred asked with a yawn, and Arthur shook his head, running his fingers down his husband’s chest.

“Hold me for five more minutes love.”

Alfred grunted and tightened his grip around his husband.

“I’ll give ya ten tonight, Artie.”

 

* * *

 

 

Alfred’s eyes shone with tears as he grasped the hand in his own a little tighter.

He looked down to where his tanned hand was gripping onto a smaller, paler one.

But the paler one had an IV in it.

His eyes followed that hand, up the arm and to the beautiful face of his husband. His hair still as messy as ever, and eyes still the beautiful emerald color he adored so much, but they didn’t hold the same amount of life they used to before.

Cancer, it really took the life out of someone. Alfred knew that all too well.

Because he had watched it. Every day for the last two years he watched it take the life away from _his_ life. Every day he watched Arthur get more and more weak, grow more and more tired until they ended up here. Surrounded by machines and beeping and death.

Oh god, Alfred did not want to think about death.

He didn’t even notice he was crying until that frail, pale hand came up to rest on his cheek and wipe away a single tear that was trailing its way down his face.

“Love, don’t cry for me,” Arthur said, his voice weak and trembling. “It’ll all be alright darling.”

Alfred shook his head and grasped the hand on his cheek, turning his head and pressing a kiss to it as more tears slipped out of his eyes.

“Don’t say that Artie,” Alfred sniffled. “You know I can’t live without you.”

Arthur scoffed, and he took a breath to throw back a witty retort, but he choked on the air and went into a violent coughing fit.

Alfred’s chest hurt seeing his lover in such a state, though he knew he was powerless in this situation. He reached out and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more than it already was.

Arthur shot him a half-hearted glare, but his eyes held no malice. In them was only love, and yet Alfred’s chest still stung at the dullness of them.

Arthur knew his time was coming, his body was so tired of fighting, so he reached a hand out once more and gripped Alfred’s hand as tight as his body would let him. With all his strength he lifted himself off his hospital bed and planted a soft kiss to Alfred’s lips.

The two held each other until Arthur was gasping for breath, and Alfred gently set him back down onto the bed, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Alfie, love,” Arthur whispered, a small smile gracing his lips. “I love you so much dear. Take care of Amelia, I know she’s going to need her Daddy.”

Alfred held back a sob at that, not yet ready to say goodbye. But as Arthur laid back in his bed, and shut his eyes, his breath slowing and the heart rate monitor slowing, Alfred knew this was his final moments.

He couldn’t contain his sobs anymore, and he leaned forward to grasp at his husband begging him to stay with him.

“Please Artie, just give me five more minutes,” Alfred sobbed into his husband’s still chest. “Just five more minutes love, please.”

The monitor beside the bed flatlined, and gone was Alfred’s entire life.

 

* * *

 

 

Alfred laid in his bed, glancing to the empty space beside him. It’s been thirty-six years, and he still hadn’t gotten used to the emptiness Arthur left in his life.

In one hand, he clutched his wedding ring, the other hand held a photo of the two on their wedding day.

He felt his breath become more labored. He was eighty-seven now, and somehow, he knew his time was coming.

Alfred’s eyes began to slowly fall, and he let a smile grace his lips.

“Five more minutes Artie, I’ll be with you soon.” He whispered into the night air, and with that, he was reunited with the love of his life once again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sorry. I got the idea from listening to "Five More Minutes" by Scotty Mccreery.


End file.
